The Problem
by wolfraven80
Summary: AxH There are many things that can bring two people together. Sometimes all it takes is a problem.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: In terms of style this story is less ambitious than _(Mis)understanding_ was, but I just had to write it – a straight-up romance, set a few years after TTP.

* * *

**The Problem**

**One**

_Love is always a problem, whatever our age may be._ – C.G. Jung

**ooo**

"– _she drew out an arrow from the quiver, and tested its point on the tip of her thumb. But because her arm was still trembling she pressed too hard, with the result that it pricked too deeply, and tiny drops of rose-red blood bedewed the surface of the skin. So all unknowing and without prompting Psyche fell in love with Love..._"

Artemis Fowl paused in his reading to type a few notes regarding the passage, toying with the notion of putting out his own translation of the Latin text; some of the modern editions had taken overlarge liberties with the wording in places. He set the notion aside just as quickly: it was simply a distraction and already his mind was wrestling with two problems, both of a personal nature.

With a sigh, Artemis set down the book and rubbed his temple as the May sunlight crept through the window. The sun was still high above the horizon and already he could hear the murmurings at the back of his skull, the inhuman voices that came with the full moon and crashed through his mind like stormy breakers. In the years since the Hybras incident, most of the symptoms he'd suffered from stealing magic in the time stream had vanished, yet occasionally the effects would recur with the force of those first months. Sometimes the full moon brought with it an inundation of fairy voices and memories, a cacophony that drowned out his own thoughts and left his head throbbing almost past endurance. Even the migraine prescription he'd written himself only dulled it.

Who would have thought stealing a touch of magic would have such a hefty price?

He reached for the book again, _The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius_, but his hands remained limp on the spine. He knew what followed (he could quote tracts of the original line for line): Psyche's loss of Amor's trust and of him, and the long litany of trials she would suffer before amends were made and relationship restored.

"Arty?"

He rose as he heard his mother's voice. Blood thrummed his through skull and he pressed his hand to his temples, the coolness of his palm comforting. "Hellfire," he muttered. It would be bad this time.

A knock on the door. "Arty?"

"Come in."

He forced himself to smile as his mother entered his study. She was already dressed, ready for an overnight visit to London with the family. At six the twins were excitable and inquisitive and Angeline loved indulging their child-like wonder. Artemis could only remember himself at six as a dour walking encyclopaedia. "Why aren't you dressed, Arty? We're almost ready to go." She stared hard at him for a moment. "You're not feeling well, are you?"

He smiled wanly. She could always tell when one of his migraines was coming on. Something in the eyes, she said. Constricted pupils, most likely; photophobia was a common symptom of migraines. "I'm sorry, mom." 'Mom'... It was easier to say now, but still felt oddly informal at times. No matter. It made her happy to hear it. "I'm afraid I have the beginning of a migraine. I'll need to stay home, but you should all enjoy yourselves regardless."

"Are you sure? We could go another time."

"I'll be fine. I have my prescription after all and Butler will be here if I need anything."

She hugged him and then drew back to look into his face. "My tall boy," she said fondly, smiling at him. At eighteen (legally twenty-one) he'd managed to grow to the national average of five foot ten. Angeline's smile wavered a moment as she looked into his mismatched eyes. He didn't need to ask to know the regrets that troubled her. His contact with the People had changed him. For the better, by and large. But there had been a price, his parents' worry during his three year absence chief among them.

"I'll be fine," he assured her again.

"We'll be home tomorrow afternoon," she said.

"Enjoy yourselves."

As soon as his mother left, he sat back down – too quickly – and pain throbbed through his skull in time with his pulse. He reached for his pills and downed a pair with a gulp of water. At the back of his mind were the voices he couldn't understand, a low hum like the buzzing of insect wings, persistent and grating.

All this because of Hybras. Everything had changed there.

He had replayed the incident in his thoughts repeatedly, reviewing, analysing to see if he could have done something differently. There was one memory he normally skirted over. Holly's death and his subsequent rescue of her. Today he reached into the corner of his mind where he had sealed that memory so as not to lose it in the time stream. Perhaps the wash of his own pain, his own memories, could overwhelm the alien ones that clambered at the back of his mind.

He drew the memory out of the safe place he had stored it, and reviewed it with a critical eye.

He inspected it, turned it over in his thoughts, observed it from all angles, all the while manipulating it with caution, careful to keep it at a safe distance lest its edges cut. It resembled the pain of hearing of his father' disappearance, but even then there had always been the belief that his father had been alive. This pain was full of jagged edges: the horror of seeing it happen, the violence of it, its suddenness – these were the sorts of things that commonly led to post traumatic stress disorder in regular minds. But it never happened and the memory was relegated to the status of nightmare, one startling only for its vividness and detail.

Holly was alive and well and that knowledge dulled the sharp edges of memory. Even so, losing her, if only for a moment, had changed things. Idly, he wondered what she was up to now. Probably on a Recon mission; full moons were busy nights for the LEP.

With a sigh, Artemis rose and moved to a cushioned chair on the far side of his study. He eased himself into his seat, pausing a moment as the blood surged most unpleasantly through his temples again, and then turned on his plasma tv and switched to CNN. Even a magic-induced migraine would not rob him of the satisfaction of reviewing the fruits of his latest endeavour.

**ooo**

_Don't shoot the tourists. Shooting the tourists is bad._ Over the course of the past hour, those words had become Holly Short's mantra. She _would_ have to end up on a surface-bound shuttle packed with a school field trip.

The collection of young sprites, elves, pixies, and even one dwarf, appeared to have consumed large quantities of sugar (or possibly energy shakes) minutes before boarding the Tara-bound shuttle. Their teachers had attempted to quiz them about Tara's history during the hour-long trip to the surface but that had lasted about six minutes before they'd given up and left the children to sing endless refrains of "The magma in the shoot spouts up and up."

Amidst the singing were occasional shrieks of indignation or queries of whether they were there yet. Next to her, one of the teachers, a youngish elf who looked to have gone prematurely grey, was massaging his temples.

"Faberr's tugging on my wings again!"

"Stop pulling Saya's wings, Faberr," said the teacher.

"I need to use the washroom," squeaked one of the young pixies.

"It's right there, Plin," the teacher said pointing to the door a few feet away from them.

Holly heaved a sigh. The council must have set this up somehow. Surely she couldn't be _this_ unlucky.

It wasn't news to anyone that she'd been on thin ice with the fairy council for ages, ever since Artemis had seen fit to take her hostage all those years ago. But things had become progressively more complicated, especially after the time-travelling incident when their actions had loosed two Opal Kobois on the world. Three years later and they were still loose and wreaking havoc. There had been endless incidents and inquiries until finally the council had threatened to revoke her surface privileges completely. They'd even had Artemis himself brought to Police Plaza for questioning. Yet they'd not been prepared for what they were dealing with in Artemis Fowl. Not in the least.

"Take that, Mud Man!" Holly's neck snapped around to stare at the young elf. He was clutching a pair of action figures, one of an LEP officer complete with Neutrino 3000, and another of a human garbed in animal skins, brandishing a spear and grimacing in a manner Holly was almost certain was anatomically impossible for the human face. It looked like an expression one might see on a troll's face.

Holly's chest clenched. Artemis had been devious and conniving, a monster really when she had met him, but trolls could not change for the better. Artemis had.

Her thoughts turned to that day in Police Plaza when he had taken on the council, to their conversation before the hearing.

"I _will not_ allow us to be parted on account of a council of petty bureaucrats." His habitual calm had dissolved and his newfound fervency had sent a shiver down her spine.

"Don't go overboard," Artemis. "The People have reason to distrust Mud Men in general and you in particular."

"I realize that," he said, straightening his jacket and tie, his coolness returned. He paused then for a moment. He caught her eye and a smile, not the smug smile she was used to, nor the toothy grin of the hunter, but a genuine smile, curved his lips. "But I'm afraid, Holly, that I couldn't do without you."

She'd caught her breath. To hear her own words on his lips, those words...

But there had been no time – there never was – and he'd been carted off by an armed escort to say his piece to the council. And what a piece it had been, too.

"Consult the history of my case," he'd told the council, standing so that he towered over them all. "You'll see that after being mind wiped I reverted to my past criminal behaviour in spite of the good influence of my parents who had been restored to me by Captain Short. The logical conclusion, then, is that it's the People whose influence is chiefly responsible for any improvements in my character. And since Captain Short has long been my main contact with the People, it seems patently foolish to try to sever that contact. Without her good influence, I cannot guarantee that I won't... backslide." His lip was curled to show the hint of an incisor. Reedy and deathly pale, he looked as dangerous as a shark.

Blackmailing the council. She'd been at once astounded and appalled. For all the changes in him, Artemis had never lost that ruthlessness.

And of course once they'd escorted him back to a holding cell it hadn't ended there. No, of course not. Somehow he'd managed to bug the council room and she'd caught him monitoring their deliberations. It had been a mess of arguing and finally they'd had to accept the truth of Artemis's statement, but what she remembered most were Vinyáya's words. Her former instructor had always been a supporter of Holly's. That day she'd argued vociferously on Holly's behalf until finally she had shaken her head and sighed. "What fate brings together, let none tear asunder." There had been murmuring.

"A quotation?" Artemis had asked, turning to Holly.

"A proverb." She hadn't told him where the proverb originated and, luckily, there hadn't been time for him to press her.

"I for one," Vinyáya had continued, "have faith in Captain Short. We know she can handle Fowl. Could you say the same of any other officer?"

Holly straightened as she felt the telltale shudder as the shuttle docked at port. Finally! She hurried out of her seat, flashed her badge to get through customs, and soon she was shielded and soaring through the cool, Irish air.

Yet for all the glory of the old country, and the sun dipping into the horizon, all the while she flew, the proverb rattled around her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

_We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love, never so helplessly unhappy as when we have lost our loved object or its love._ – Sigmund Freud

**ooo**

"In other news the makers of Clean-Hex tissues and other paper products have been successfully bought out by eco-friendly ForRest. Clean-Hex had recently filed for bankruptcy protection after an investigation by authorities into illegal lumbering practices on a hereto unheard of scale. The full extent of their activities was only discovered after authorities received a tip from a hacker working under the name 'Cernunnos'–"

A smile, which some might have termed smug, curved Artemis's lips as he shut off the television and leaned back into his chair. He did not so much as start when a voice spoke, seemingly out of thin air.

"All in a day's work for criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl?"

His smile broadened into a true smile. "Holly. It's good to see you." A pause. "After a fashion," he added, one eyebrow quirked.

For a moment Holly hovered before him, still shielded, taking the opportunity to observe him while unobservable, enjoying the slight advantage; it was rare to have the upper hand around Artemis Fowl. Six years she'd known him and he'd only grown cannier with age. And taller too. She needed her wings even to place a hand on his shoulder and he was forever looking down at her. She took this chance to look down on him, to note the deep lines of his brow – too deep for a young man (_he's only eighteen..._) – the hint of a five o'clock shadow on his chin, his mismatched eyes, and his habitual pallor, which was all the more striking for his dark hair.

She smiled. His face was as familiar to Holly as her own.

"Hello, Artemis." Slowing the vibration of her molecules, she entered the visible spectrum and turned off her wings. "Or should I say 'Cernunnos'?"

"Foaly noticed, did he?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "Cernunnos: an Irish god of the hunt, correct? Hard to miss. You do have a rather high opinion of yourself, though."

Artemis shrugged. "It seemed a fitting handle."

"And subtle," Holly retorted, arms crossed. "You wanted us to notice, didn't you?"

A smug smile. "Perhaps. I take it the council sent you to check up on me and make sure I didn't have a notorious scheme up my sleeve."

"Exactly. Apparently the council's decided that I'm their best defence against your criminal tendencies."

"Hmm," Artemis mused. "I can't imagine what could have given them that impression."

She couldn't help herself; she smiled. "No. I can't imagine." And then she took a deep breath and did her job. She caught his gaze and held it, looking into those mismatched eyes, blue and hazel, as she spoke. "So tell me, why did you do it?"

Artemis looked right back at her. "Isn't it obvious? The company's environmental track record was disastrous. It has been using old-growth forests to make tissues and toilet paper. Surely that's reason enough?"

Holly crossed her arms. "That's all? Nothing in it for you at all?"

"Perhaps a small percentage," he said, leaning back into his chair and steepling his fingers. "A fee, if you will, to cover time and expenses." She raised an eyebrow. "It really is for the best, Holly, I assure you. There will be minimal job losses and the new owners of the company will run it responsibly. The boreal forests will thank me and by extension the polar ice caps as well. Surely the People don't object to that?"

She shook her head. "Sometimes, Artemis, I can't tell whether you're doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, or the wrong thing for the right reasons."

"It's immaterial now," he said with a shrug. "My actions are irreversible and I've given you my answer for the council. That being the case, are we done, Captain Short?"

"Yes," she replied. "We're done."

"In that case..." He rose, a smile softening his features. Holly activated her wings once more and, hovering at eye level, embraced him.

"It's been too long," she said, her arms wound around his neck.

"Yes. It has," he said very quietly, his breath warm against her skin. His arms, wrapped around the small of her back so as to avoid the wings on her suit, squeezed her tightly. Holly was unsettled to realize that her heart was racing. She was more unsettled to realize that she didn't want to let go... and that he seemed equally reluctant.

Stubble rasped against her cheek as she drew back to look into his face. He looked now very much like the young man he'd been when they'd travelled to the past – minus the unruly hair. There had been more adventures since then and more times when she'd had to place her life in his hands and vice versa, but what she'd said then was just as true now – truer even: she couldn't do without him. He was too much a part of her life now, a part of _her_.

Holly's gaze caught his for a moment, that mismatched set of eyes that would forever remind her of their misadventures in Hybras, and then she drew back. "Are you sure you're feeling well? You look a bit peaky even for you."

He waved vaguely. "A headache. Nothing to be concerned about." And then, motioning towards the wingback chair in which he'd been reading earlier, "Please. Sit down, Holly."

She deactivated her wings and alighted on the chair, sitting cross-legged to avoid the absurdity of having her feet dangling above the floor like a child. Artemis eased himself down into his own seat, but she thought she glimpsed a flicker of discomfort on his features.

"It has been a while since your last visit," he said before she could ask again if he was well. "The council hasn't been causing you difficulties, has it?"

Holly shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Things have been busy is all. The B'wa Kell have been acting up and there have been quite a few trolls on the loose too. And then there's Opal Koboi..."

"I wish I had news for you on that front but unfortunately I haven't made any substantial progress in my investigation since you last called."

Holly's lips quirked. "Too busy wreaking havoc as Cernunnos? Tell me you didn't cause all this trouble just to make the council send me up here."

"Believe me, Holly, I had the welfare of the entire planet in mind. If it brought you to the surface, that is only a pleasant side effect."

She shook her head. The day Artemis Fowl gave a straight answer would be the day dwarves took up sunbathing as a favourite pastime. "At least you're putting your deviousness to good use." She glanced down as the book resting on the arm of the chair caught her eye. "Latin," she noted, picking up the book. "_What_ have you been reading, Artemis? _The Golden Ass_?"

"It's a classic second century Roman work, originally called _The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius_. _The Golden Ass_ is the more popular title. It's the tale of a man transformed into a donkey."

"There's a dwarf-authored book by the same name," Holly said, one eyebrow raised. "It's not about a donkey."

Artemis's lips twitched. "A favourite of Mulch's in that case, I assume. Apuleius's work, however, is a key source for information on the mystery cult of Isis and is especially notable for its recounting of the tale of Amor and Psyche."

"Amor?"

"Yes. Amor. Eros. Cupid. The archer whose arrows strike their victims with desire. The Greco-Roman god of erotic love."

"Some light reading?" she said, glancing back down at the book, unnerved. Artemis Fowl talking of love. She should be amused, not flushed... and slightly wistful. And then, altogether unbidden, a thought came into her mind: _I wonder if he still wears red boxers._ And she was back to flushed.

"Research," he replied. The sun was setting now and the shadows grew long, slanting over his features. He leaned back into his chair and his face was cloaked in the twilight's shade.

"Research?" Holly echoed.

"It's an interesting tale," Artemis went on. "Psyche is a girl of such beauty that the people of her land neglect Venus, infuriating the goddess. Venus sends her son Amor to make Pscyhe fall in love with the vilest man alive, but when he sees her, he's so stunned by her beauty that he drops his arrow. The arrow pierces his skin and he falls in love with her and decides to make her his wife. He engineers for her to be brought to a castle, full of luxuries, but otherwise empty. At night he comes to her under the cloak of darkness so that she never knows that her husband is the god of love himself.

"Out of jealously, Psyche's sisters convince her that he must be a beast and that she must slay him. After he is asleep one night, Psyche lights a lamp and sees him for what he is. She inspects his arrows and they pierce her skin. Amor awakes and, seeing that he is betrayed, flies away."

"Why are you telling me this, Artemis?" Holly cut in. She could barely see his face now.

"Don't you want to know how it ends?"

She sighed. "All right. How does it end?"

"Upon learning of her son's disobedience, Venus is infuriated at Psyche and places upon her a series of trials – typical folktale motifs," Artemis said, waving vaguely. "Sorting a pile of grains and similar tasks. Finally she's charged with retrieving a box from the underworld, which she does, but overcome by curiosity, she opens it and a deathlike sleep fells her. Amor returns to her then and restores her to life. While she goes on to complete the final task, he pleads with Zeus to help him. Finally Amor and Psyche are united in marriage. She's given eternal life and together they live happily and from their union is born a daughter, Pleasure."

She peered at him through the shadows. Why didn't he turn on a light, she wondered. "You're not yourself, this evening," she said.

He raised a hand to massage his right temple. "No. I suppose not."

"Artemis–" She started at the sound of a knock on the door.

"It's all right," Artemis assured her. "My family has gone to London."

"Artemis?" Holly relaxed as she heard Butler's familiar baritone.

"Come in, Butler. We have a visitor."

"I know," Butler said as he opened the door. "New imaging software," he added, glancing at Holly.

"How soon did you detect me?" Holly asked, intrigued.

"As soon as you were within the security perimeter," Butler replied.

"I was shielded."

"I know."

Holly glanced back to Artemis who shrugged. "We need to take precautions against intrusions by Opal Koboi and I couldn't resist trying to counter Foaly's latest advancements as well. Butler, why don't you show Holly our new security centre?" Holly's brow furrowed. She had the distinct impression that Artemis was trying to get rid of her. Peering into the dusky dregs of daylight, she tried to catch his eye but he remained obscured and unreadable. "I relish the thought of making our four-legged friend rife with envy," he said. "We can continue catching up later."

She was about to object but finally nodded instead. "All right." She hopped down from her seat. "Lead the way, Butler."

**ooo**

"Artemis did a fine job designing it – as usual," Butler said, his hands moving over the control panel for the security system.

"Hmm," Holly replied.

"There's a silent alarm tied in to our phones so we can be notified about fairy incursions without alerting the intruder."

"Mmm-hmm."

Butler peered at Holly for a moment and then, "Very useful if a troll wanders in, what with them being so hard to detect and all."

"Yes," murmured Holly.

"Especially the tap dancing ones. That sing show tunes."

Holly's head snapped up. "What?"

The slightest hint of a smile curved the bodyguard's lips. "Is something the matter, Holly? You seem a bit preoccupied tonight."

Smiling sheepishly, she craned her neck to look up at her burly friend. "I'm sorry, Butler. Truly. It's just..." He waited in silence for her to speak. She glanced away for some moments, her gaze unfocussed, before looking up at him again. "Is Artemis all right? He said something about a headache."

"He'll be fine," Butler assured her. "It happens now and then ever since he got back from Hybras. It's the full moon that does it."

Holly straightened. "The full moon? It has do to with the magic he stole in the time stream then."

"So he says. It used to happen every month but it's fairly rare now."

Holly shook her head. "He never told me."

"It's Artemis."

"Yes," Holly said, smiling wanly. It was so typical. He'd rather endure discomfort than admit he'd somehow held on to a few wisps of magic, rather than be honest. So utterly typical.

"Can you help him, Holly? I don't like seeing him like this either."

Lips thinned to a line, she considered the matter. Artemis hadn't lied to her, not precisely, but neither had he been very forthcoming. She pushed back the ache from three years past when they have travelled back in time together and created a time paradox. The lie he'd told her had taken away her right to choose whether or not to accompany him, but it had also saved her from answering one very important question. How far would she go for him? What if she'd been left the choice and refused to go? If they'd never gone back, he might never have begun his search for fairies, never sought to kidnap one. They might never have met.

And that thought hurt her more than being lied to had.

"I don't know... but I'll do what I can."

"Try the library," Butler said. "And, Holly?" he called after her before she was out the door. "Thank you."

"What are friends for?" she said with a wink.

* * *

**A/N:** Just as I was finishing the draft version of this story I happened upon _A Family Tradition_ by Lli, which casts Holly and Artemis in the roles of Cupid and Psyche. It's a lovely story and if you haven't read it, I certainly recommend it. Stumbling upon it right after having referenced it in my own story was an amusing -- and very happy -- coincidence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

_The problem of love is that it is a task for two individuals. _– Alfred Adler

**ooo**

Holly padded into the library, her pulse thrumming in her ears.

Fowl Manor's library was more than a small cubby hole with a few shelves; it was a library in the grandest sense of the word, a two story affair with vaulted ceilings and a narrow balcony allowing access to the upper level. The walls were manned by tall, oak bookcases, darkly varnished, like looming sentinels more than twice Holly's height. Books of varying ages, some brand new, others showing the wear and tear of generations, lined the shelves, filling the air with the musty scent of old paper and bindings.

She moved without a sound over the parquet flooring toward a dim pool of light in the far corner of the room. Sound was so muted here that it wasn't until she turned the corner and found herself at Artemis' back that she heard his voice.

"'The problem of love' says Adler, 'is that it is a task for two individuals.'"

Holly froze.

"'For many people this is bound to be a new task. To some degree we have been trained to work alone; to some degree, to work in a group. But we have generally had little experience of working two by two.'"

He was seated at a desk, alone, his back to her, a small lamp providing the only illumination, and a book lying open before him. Her heart was in her throat until she glimpsed the tiny recording device held up in his right hand.

"When I first read the passage a decade ago, I was unimpressed. Subsequent experiences have altered the matter somewhat. I had always worked alone or with Butler at my side, but Butler was bound to obey my directives. More or less. He is a friend but also an employee. It was not until much later that I learned what it is to work with another as an equal and came to fully understand its appeal. As a child I had knowledge without true understanding."

She should leave. She knew she should leave or clear her throat or call his name, but she stood there, stock still, fixed by the sound of his voice as her heart hammered in her chest.

"Adler goes on to note that there 'must be equality. If there is to be intimate devotion, neither partner can feel subdued nor overshadowed. Equality is only possible if both partners have this attitude. It should be the effort of each to ease and enrich the life of the other. In this way each will be safe; each will feel that he is worthwhile and that he is needed.' I've discovered that what Adler proposes is not an easy thing."

Holly's heart ached. _Oh, Artemis..._

"Adler's view is at once more grounded than the norm and more idealized insofar as it's at odds with much of the source material and human behaviour. So often the aim of the lover is to possess: consumption rather than union, hence the prevalence of the metaphor of the hunt. The lover becomes the hunter, the beloved, the hunted, a prize to be won – or devoured. And though the metaphor has appealed to me in other contexts and once would have in this context as well perhaps, it falls apart with the realization that one does not wish to gain possession, but affection in its truest form, as an equal partner, neither possessor nor possessed."

He shifted the recorder from his right hand to his left so that he could massage his right temple before going on. "Having, in my youth, taken on the role of captor, I can say with great assurance that it is not an experience I wish to repeat, either literally or figuratively."

Holly took a step back, prepared to leave, to shield if necessary so that he would not see her, not know she had hovered there, listening to his private musings, this "research" he was engaged in. Where was all his coolness now?

She had seen nearly a century pass by, yet never in all her life had she felt so uncertain as she did at that moment, torn between flight and a sudden desire to wrap her arms around him.

"Tell me, Holly, is the issue handled much differently in your literature? I realize that most elves would revile hunting."

_D'Arvit!_ She nearly leaped out of her skin and instantly chided herself. No better than a silly schoolgirl, an elf one quarter of her age. She was a captain in the LEP, she'd faced trolls and demons, yet Artemis could unsettle her like no one else.

"Surely," he said, without turning to face her "you had to study a fairy ballad or two in your school days."

She sighed and took a step forward. "One or two maybe. Poetry wasn't my strongest subject."

"And you've never stooped to read a romance, I suppose. I used to write them now and then when I was a child." A dry chuckle. "They sold well and it amused me to create something using only the knowledge of form. Those books were all form without substance. I could compose with only a superficial understanding of the topic."

"Artemis..."

"Surely you must remember something."

She sighed. "All right..." She wracked her brain for memories of love poems, of stories she'd paid little heed to so focussed had she been on her goal. Let her classmates twitter about love; she'd wanted adventures, excitement. She'd wanted to fly into a sky so wide it made her bones ache. She'd been so young then... "Fairy authors usually compare it to the relationship between a fairy and the earth, or to the Ritual sometimes."

"A relationship of mutuality, then."

"Yes."

He set down the recorder. "Very apt."

She crossed the distance between them and placed a hand on his shoulder, his body tensing beneath her touch. "Artemis," she said firmly.

"It's nothing," he said, shifting away from her. "Fatigue."

"Artemis, let me look at you." The words stilled his protests. She came to stand before him and look into a face haggard and waxy pale. He met her eyes, though he squinted as if even the pale, yellow light of the lamp were painful to him. She reached up and put her hand to his cheek. "Tell me what's wrong." Her voice was as insistent as the _mesmer_, but there was no magic in it.

He groaned and held his head in his hands. "Oh, Holly, my head aches so. But if it were only that I could bear it well enough. How do you stand it?"

"What?"

"The voices. The racial memories that come with the full moon."

She gasped. "How do you know about that?"

"I've been able to sense them since we returned from Hybras. The migraines are only a side effect, a neural overload. I'm rarely affected anymore except now and then through the lunar cycle such as today."

"It's the Beltain moon," she told him.

He nodded – and then pressed his palm to his temple, wincing. "I suspected as much," he said after a moment. "Traditionally there's said to be a thinning of the veil between our world and the Otherworld at Beltain and Samhain."

"Magic is stronger then," Holly supplied. "Something to do with the lunar cycle and magical synchronance. Don't ask me to explain. Magical astrophysics wasn't my strongest subject either."

"Lunar radiation," he murmured, palm still pressed against his forehead. And then, "What _was_ your strongest subject?"

She'd majored in magic in college, she loved to read, but this was too good to pass up. She winked. "Phys. Ed."

A smile, slight, but definitely there. "Of course. A Recon jock. How could I forget?"

"Come on," she said, snagging his elbow and giving him a tug.

"Where?"

"Outside. This isn't something you're going to fix by thinking about it, Artemis."

She was grateful that, for once, he didn't protest.

**ooo**

On any other night, Holly would have delighted in the cool breeze that caressed her face and the thrill of the moonlight tickling through her with the promise of magic. The sky above was a tapestry of stars and the leaves of the gnarled oaks and chestnuts rustled like living beings, whispering to each other. But Artemis's hand, clasped in her, was clammy and the moonlight gave his pallor a sickly sheen.

She paused in a clearing where they could see the moon high above them and let go of his hand. "This should do."

"Explain," he said, fingers pressed to his right temple again.

"No questions. Just sit."

He stiffened. "On the ground?"

She rolled her eyes at his scandalized tone. "Is this really the time to worry about grass stains, Artemis?"

"No. You're right of course." He cleared his throat and eased himself onto the grass. He grimaced for a long moment.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. Discomfort stemming from movement is a common effect of migraines."

She knelt down next to him and took his face in her hands. "Heal." Magic seeped from her fingers, flitting across Artemis's skin and sinking into his pores. "How's that?"

He took a deep breath. "Better. Somewhat. The discomfort is dulled now, but you've only treated a symptom not the root cause so it's not likely to have a lasting effect."

She huffed, exasperated. Even when ill his mind never stopped racing, did it? "One step at a time. Now lie down." He seemed about to protest but her glower quieted him and he lay down, gingerly settling himself into the grass.

"Is this absolutely necessary, Holly?" His arms were pressed against his sides and his entire body was rigid.

"Yes," she said curtly. "I think it is. The moon is what's causing your problem so we need to be under it to fix things." She lay down next to him, hands interlaced beneath her head, her elbow brushing against his shoulder. It was glorious to breathe fresh, non-recycled air, and she inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of wet earth and flowers and pines. When she glanced over at Artemis, she saw him flicking an insect off his sleeve with an air of distaste. "You have the world at your reach and you never go outside to enjoy it, do you?"

"I have an appreciation for the natural world," Artemis said. "I simply prefer to observe it from a less direct standpoint."

She sighed. Artemis could never appreciate the surface as she could. After all, he had never been deprived of it. Might as well get down to business. "The voices, Artemis. Tell me about them. What do you hear?"

"Voices. A cacophony of voices."

"What language are they speaking?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. It was a moment before he spoke again. "I can't tell. It's garbled and overlapping."

"Try to pick out one voice."

He fell silent again and Holly watched him, his face a mask of tension. Sweat trickled from his brow in spite of the cool, night air. Finally he opened his eyes and shook his head. "I can't isolate one. There are too many."

She turned onto her side to look at him. Holly bit her lip. His skin was chalky white against his raven hair and his entire body radiated tension. She had hoped the voices would be more distinct out in the open, that it would be easier for him to sort through it. "Concentrate. You can do this, Artemis. One voice. A few words." He closed his eyes once more. She switched to Gnommish. "From the earth thine power flows, given through courtesy, so thanks are owed. Pluck thou the magic seed where full moon, ancient oak and twisted water meet. And bury it far from where it was found, so return your gift into the ground."

Artemis's eyes sprang open. "Gnommish. It's an archaic form of Gnommish." Relief swept over her. For a moment she'd been worried that this would be too much for him. "I should have realized it sooner. I thought–"

"You're thinking too much already," Holly snapped. "That's the problem. Fairies don't _think_ about these memories. We feel them. They wash over us and fill us like our magic does."

He bristled. "I'm not a fairy and I no longer have any magic," he said, shifting onto his side so he could look her in the eye. "You know that."

"You stole magic in the time stream, Artemis. You made it a part of yourself and now this is a part of you too. _We_ are a part of you," she said, reaching out to place a hand over his heart. "The People." She could feel his heartbeat, feel it quicken beneath her palm. The warmth of his skin seeped through the fabric of his shirt into her hand. "Don't fight it. Just listen. Be open to it."

He closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded. "Very well."

"And stop thinking so much."

"You ask the impossible, Holly." And somehow the sight of that smug smile on his face could not but draw a smile out of her.

"And here I thought nothing was impossible for Artemis Fowl. I'm disappointed."

She moved to draw back her hand, but found herself prevented when his came to rest overtop, clasping it against his chest. Her eyes darted up from her hand. Their gazes locked. For a minute they were silent and then he gave her hand a squeeze and, taking a deep breath, shut his eyes.

**ooo**

Meditation was something Artemis had mastered as a child, but while no-mind was the goal of most meditation, he had adapted the technique for his own purposes. For him it was an exercise in concentration, a sharpening of his mental faculties that allowed for the free-flow of ideas. The emptying of thought that Holly was asking of him was not an easy task and his mind railed against the notion of letting the alien fairy voices and emotions override his own mental patterns. But she was right. He had forged a bond with the People and in so doing had made this a part of him as well. And Holly. They were a part of each other, quite literally so, each embedded with the other's DNA. The tangible quality of that connection was pleasing.

That was where to begin. With the concrete.

Eyes closed, he concentrated on the warmth of Holly's small hand clasped in his. Smooth skin, the jut of knuckles, long, slender fingers. He focussed until he could sense the pulse of elfin blood in her veins. The voices were those of Holly's ancestors, her kin. He let his mind slide into the rhythm of that rapid pulse, making it as comfortable and familiar as his own, and followed its beat to the voices, let them thrum through him, envelop him.

_Carry me always, carry me well._

_I am thy teacher of herb and spell._

_I am thy link to power arcane._

_Forget me and thy magick shall wane_.

The opening verses of the Book. It was a balm, familiar and comforting. He felt his racing pulse begin to slow as the words washed over him, and with them a deep sense of their solemnity. These were sacred verses.

He tensed as something else washed over him. Foreboding... prickling his skin.

_But, Fairy, remember this above all._

_I am not for those in mud that crawl._

_And forever doomed shall be the one_

_Who betrays my secrets one by one._

Artemis shuddered. _Profaner_. _Defiler_. _Usurper_. A Mud Man gorging on the secrets of the People. His hand clamped spasmodically around Holly's.

"What is it?" Her voice sounded far away. "Artemis?"

He opened his eyes and found hers, one hazel, one blue. The sight lulled the turbid flow of emotions that had threatened to engulf him. Though his relationship with the People had begun in theft, it had matured into something more. A bond. The People were a part of him now.

"It's all right," he said. "It has passed." He closed his eyes once more, and opened himself again to the moon-tugged tide of emotion.

_There shall be peace among the People and goodwill towards the men of the earth, as long as I reign._

Artemis's mind floated in a time beyond human memory. King Frond, first elfin king, revered among the People as the greatest and wisest of fairies. His words eased the warlike hearts of men, the spear-bearers, hunters of beasts, mud-dwellers, stone-carvers. Through the long centuries of his reign they forged bonds of friendship and trust, and sometimes even of love.

The force of the breaking of those bonds struck Artemis like a jackhammer.

And then a scene, vivid before his eyes. Men shaking spears, hurling them. Stone spearheads piercing fairy flesh. Demons skewering men like lambs at slaughter.

_We are not slayers of kin. _

The People gathered at Tara, at the place of kings, the Lia Fáil, to hold sacred council. Angry words. "We will not fight," announced the king of the elves. "Though they've forgotten, the mud dwellers are kin to our kind and we will not slay kin."

The 8th family called them traitors, cowards but when battle was joined at Taillte, the dwarves retreated to their underground caverns and the elves refused to fight. The People's army was scattered to the four winds.

The battle grew distant, ebbed away, leaving Artemis empty, save for a few words that echoed still in his mind.

_Fate has wrought these holy bands._


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

_Love is a force of destiny whose power reaches from heaven to hell._ – C.G. Jung

**ooo**

Holly wasn't sure how long she lay there watching him. Ages, it seemed, watching his face, his brow creased in an air of utter concentration, and feeling the heartbeat beneath her palm by turns race or slow. All the while, he kept hold of her hand and she found herself wishing she could help him somehow.

Relief swept over her when Artemis opened his eyes and drew in a long, deep breath, only then releasing her hand. She smiled. "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"

"Much relieved. Everything seems less overwhelming now. I think I shall be able to manage in future."

"Glad to hear it. I was worried that you really couldn't keep that big brain of yours quiet for long enough to work this through."

"O ye of little faith," he quipped.

She punched him playfully in the shoulder. "You could have told me about this before, you know."

"I had no desire to have my condition known to the council. You'll need to include this in your report to them when you return, of course."

"Yes. There are things I can keep to myself, but the fact that humans can take magic for themselves and use it..." She shook her head. "That's something the People need understand as fully as possible."

"That brings me to a question," Artemis said. Holly cocked an eyebrow. "At the council hearing I attended, your supporter, Commander Vinyáya, quoted a proverb."

"Yes?" she said, ignoring the uncomfortable fluttering of her heart.

"What fate brings together let none tear asunder."

"Your Gnommish is as good as ever."

"I had noted it before as it was reminiscent of a phrase used in human marriage ceremonies, but the proverb in fact originates from a passage of the Book, does it not? From the Verses of Fate?"

Her hand hovered over her copy of the Book, which hung on a gold chain tucked beneath her clothes, hidden from sight. She knew that passage, had known it since her childhood. She closed her eyes as she recited.

"Free is he who flies the wide wide skies

With naught but wings and wind.

Free is he who digs the deep deep earth

With naught but wit and wiles.

But those that walk the green green earth

Forever hand in hand,

Let none them ever try to part

For fate has wrought these holy bands."

When she opened her eyes again she was caught up in the blue and hazel gaze that mirrored her own. "I hadn't realized at the time," Artemis said, "how much weight the commander's words must have had with the council. Fate is a very real force to the fairy people, is it not?"

"Yes, it is." All her life she had thought of herself as the one who flew high, the one who was free. But there in the council room her former flight instructor had suggested she was tied down, bound to another's fate. As a girl she would have railed against it, but now, when she looked at Artemis she found that she didn't mind. If her fate had to be intertwined with someone else's, then she was glad it was Artemis.

"You knew all along of course," Artemis pointed out. "And you never spoke of it."

Holly huffed. "Would _you_?"

He cleared his throat and picked a blade of grass off his sleeve. "Perhaps not."

Holly sighed. "Artemis... When I'm around you there are times when I feel like we're still in the whirlpool at the Eleven Wonders." He looked up as she spoke. "I can't tell up from down anymore and the only thing I know... is that I need to hang on to you."

"I'm glad you did," he said, reaching out to squeeze her arm. "Without you I would be–"

"A monster?" she supplied, one eyebrow raised.

"You do seem to enjoy reminding me of that."

"You _need_ reminding, Artemis. Speaking of which..." Without another word, she took his face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his, calling on her magic. What she sensed was confusing – no magic, not precisely, but more than the echoing hollowness she had sensed when she'd probed him three years ago. She wasn't sure what that meant – she wasn't even sure she wanted to know – but still, no magic and that was all the council would be interested in.

She let her magic linger a moment longer in his thoughts, thin tendrils of power twining through him. She often thought about the closeness they'd shared in the time stream; for a little while their minds had been one and the intimacy of that connection was something she missed. To be that close to another... To have, for a few moments, no secrets between them...

And though she drew her magic back into herself, she did not draw away from him. His breath was hot against her cheek. Beneath her fingertips, she could feel the faint rasp of stubble. His eyes locked with hers and all she wanted at that moment was to be close to him. Closer. They had shared so much, why not this?

Holly leaned in and brushed a kiss over Artemis's lips.

She drew back, anxious to gauge his reaction and was startled when he pulled her closer and kissed her with obvious, if slightly clumsy, enthusiasm. She was enveloped by him, lost herself in his warmth, his scent, his taste, the touch of his skin. One hand tangled in his hair, the other gripped the fabric of his shirt, willing him closer still, closer. She could feel his heart pounding.

She kissed him until she could no longer distinguish between the pulse of her own heart and his.

They broke apart, breathless and staring, arms still wound around each other. "Holly," he began after a few lungfuls of air. He paused for breath and began again, a serious air on his uncharacteristically flushed face. "Holly, I feel it's important at this juncture that I make my position clear," he said, his chest still rising and falling at a quickened pace.

She gave herself a shake. _Focus_. She felt as addle-brained as fifty-year-old elf on her first date might. "Your position?"

"Yes," he said, licking his lips, one hand darting up to comb through his dark hair. She stared. In six years she'd never see him do something so... boyish. He'd been poised to the last, save on a few rare occasions when he'd been at his most sincere. Holly's breath caught in her throat and she strained to catch every word over the thrumming of her heart. "What I feel for you is more than _phillia_, more than friendly affection or adolescent desire. You are an integral part of my life and I believe it is paramount that I–"

"Small words, Artemis."

"I love you."

She almost laughed with relief, but checked herself as that was probably not the reaction he was hoping for. Instead, she punched him in the shoulder. "You scared me, Artemis. Your '_position_'," she repeated, shaking her head

"I'm afraid I've not had much firsthand experience in such confessions."

"I'm happy to hear it," she said and winked. "So all this research of yours..."

"In light of recent developments, I decided it would be wise to review the material in hope of gaining new insights into my predicament."

"I'm a predicament now?"

"You must admit our situation is somewhat unusual."

She let her fingers trail down his face, his neck, smiling as she felt a leather cord beneath her fingertips; it pleased her to know that he still wore the gold coin she had given him. "The particulars maybe, but not the situation. Like that story you were spouting earlier?" she added with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah yes. Amor and Psyche. It's true that forbidden love is a common motif in literature."

Holly sniffed. "'Inconvenient' is closer to what I was implying."

"Regardless, I felt it would be worth reevaluating some of my past reading."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Trust Artemis Fowl to think he can solve the problem of love by reading about it."

"And what would you recommend?"

"The same thing I did about friendship. Stop overthinking things, Mud Boy," she said holding his face in her hands and smiling, "and just do what feels right."

He obliged by leaning in and brushing kisses over her brow, her eyes, her lips, whispering all the while. What she heard was "I love you... I love you... I love you..." It took her addled mind a moment to realize he was speaking the words in different tongues. "_Je t'aime_, _Te quiero_, _Ich liebe Dich_, _Ti amo_."

Holly drew back, laugher bubbling from her lips. "Show off."

He smiled, but the glimmer in his mismatched eyes sent a shiver down her spine. A very pleasant shiver. There was nothing chaste about the kiss that followed.

Enveloped in Artemis's arms and pressed close against his chest, Holly felt tiny. Their bodies matched up a bit awkwardly, she knew, her breasts against his collar bone and most of the rest of her lining his long torso. She had to be careful where she placed her foot, which came up against his thigh and could easily skirt something more... personal. And yet for all the strangeness of it, she felt alive in every sinew of her being.

A few sparks of magic escaped her, breaking from her lips to dart over to a tiny scab on his chin and heal it. "Cut yourself... shaving?" she asked between breaths as she drew back for air.

"This morning," he managed through swollen lips, and the rawness of his voice made her tremble. She knew then exactly what she wanted from him.

Looking him straight in the eye, Holly reached for the top button of his shirt and tugged it loose. His eyes widened but remained fixed on hers. Her fingers followed their way down, undoing the first four buttons. She dropped her gaze then to look at that pale expanse of skin, smiling as her eyes fell on the gold medallion. Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand over the coin; it was as warm as his skin. His breath caught as she slid her hand down his chest and it delighted her. He was still so skinny, so pale, but as she let her hand hover over his heart, feeling it race beneath her fingers, she couldn't imagine wanting anyone – neither human nor elf – the way she wanted him at that moment.

"Holly," he said, his voice husky.

"Hmm?"

"Not to be presumptuous, but..." He cleared his throat. "It might be wise for us to relocate. I'd prefer not to have Butler stumble upon us at an inopportune moment."

Her lips quirked. "That would be awkward."

"Would I be too forward if I asked you to meet me... in my room?"

"No," she said, her fingers trailing down his face, "I think that would be a very good idea."

It took a concerted effort for them to break apart and she felt the loss of his warmth keenly. Artemis struggled to button up his shirt, fingers suddenly clumsy, and Holly had to rein in her impatience – and her amusement. Even Artemis had weaknesses.

Without a word they made their way out of the clearing, back through the trees and toward the manor. When it was in sight, Holly activated her wings and, hovering close to his ear, whispered, "Hurry."

And then she flitted up to the balcony that she knew was his and waited there for him. It was only a few minutes, but it seemed the longest wait of her life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

_We cannot love and be limited._ – Alfred Adler

**ooo**

The first thing that broke upon Holly's awareness was birdcalls. She had not spent enough time on the surface to be able to readily identify them, but the gift of tongues allowed her a sense of what they were saying. Quite a few were pronouncements by males of their availability. Typical.

She glanced over to where Artemis lay and her chest tightened. It was the first time she'd seen him asleep. She'd seen him unconscious before, but never sleeping like this, peacefully. When his mind was silent, veiled by a world of dreaming, the lines of his face relaxed and he looked almost like a normal man.

A sheet was draped about his waist and legs, but the rest of him lay in a pool of sunlight, which did little at all for his complexion. He might as well have been a marble figure for all his paleness – save of course for the now pronounced five o'clock shadow on his chin. She resisted the urge to run her fingers though his thoroughly mussed hair. Lying in that tangle of sheets, he looked so far from his usual, well-manicured self, so gloriously un-made. Even Artemis was, after all, only human.

The sunlight glinted off the gold medallion on his chest and Holly smiled.

Stretching, she drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, taking stock. Her body was sore and a bit stiff, much like the day after a particularly intense game of crunchball, though this soreness was of a rather more satisfying sort. Thinking on it, she couldn't keep a grin from breaking onto her features. Gods, she'd really done it now! Yet she could not find it in herself to wish things any other way.

As she let her eyes linger on him again, Holly's breath caught. Artemis. Her erstwhile enemy, her dearest friend... her lover. Their lives had become so intertwined; sometimes when they were together she could hardly tell where he began and she ended. She was not the same Holly Short she'd been six – or nine – years ago and he was very much changed himself – for the better, thank the gods. He had blown on that spark of decency and turned it into... well, perhaps not a blazing inferno, but a crackling hearth fire at least.

The image of a vampire had sometimes suggested itself to her thanks to his paleness and that certain predatory smile of his, but she was quite happy to confirm that Artemis was very much alive and had very good blood flow to all the right places. Even if he'd been nervous. So very very nervous. Which had delighted her. There had been something wonderful about seeing him for once so disarmed, something beautiful in his inexpert fumbling, his uncertainty. Artemis Fowl, uncertain. When else would she ever get to see that? His uncertainty had been endearing and had made it easier for her to be brave.

He stirred. "Are you awake?" she whispered.

"Mmm. I'm concerned, though, that if I open my eyes you might fly away like Amor."

"Considering my wings are in my Shimmer Suit and my Shimmer Suit is somewhere on the floor, I don't think that's likely."

He opened his eyes then and she smiled to meet that mismatched stare. "Good morning, Holly."

"Good morning."

She nestled into the crook of his arm just to feel the warmth of him and the joy of his skin against hers again. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and squeezed her. "Holly," he began and she stiffened at the tone of his voice. "Do you intend to inform anyone about our relationship?"

Relationship. It sounded strange somehow. Certainly very little about this "relationship" was normal; their day-to-day existence was worlds apart. But she would do whatever she had to to make sure they remained a part of each other's lives nonetheless.

"If you mean the council then no, absolutely not. My personal life is none of their business. I might need to tell Foaly, though."

"Do you think he's noticed the lack of readings from your suit?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "I just hope he didn't check my helmet's camera feed at the wrong moment." Artemis winced.

Pressed close against him, she could feel the tension that rippled through his body as he spoke again. "Holly, I will only ask you this once. Are you sure this is what you want? If it's not, it would be a simple matter to–"

She put a hand to his lips. "Stop trying to be such a gentleman. It doesn't suit you, Artemis."

"I wanted to be clear on the matter."

"We wouldn't be the first pair to get carried away on a Beltain moon..." she said, shaking her head. "But I'm not about to make excuses. I'd rather deal with the fallout than give you up."

His arms tightened around her. "You always do manage to make things interesting."

For a while they remained that way but finally Holly took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I'll have to go soon... before they start to think you've taken me hostage again."

A smile cracked his features, and then, after a moment, "How long?"

She cast a glance at the digital clock on his bedside table. "My next shift starts in about six hours. I'll need at least two to get back."

"Then stay for breakfast. I would feel remiss as a host if I sent you home on an empty stomach."

"What about Butler?"

"He likely knows already. I'm sure he'll have noticed that you never actually left last night."

She felt herself flush at this information, but finally they untangled themselves and went about the business of making themselves presentable. Holly's heart was hammering against her rib cage when they made their way down to the kitchen.

Butler glanced up from his newspaper. "It about time the two of your were up and about," he said. And then he rose to get them breakfast.

**ooo**

Holly had long since grown quite fond of the mountain-like Mud Man, but today, as she waited with Butler for Artemis to join them outside the manor, she was a little uneasy.

"So about Artemis's migraines..." Butler ventured, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"Oh. Yes." She'd nearly forgotten about the very problem that had started it all. "He should be all right from now on."

"That's good news then." And then, deadpan, "Do all fairy remedies involve deflowering young men?"

Holly felt as if every drop of blood in her body were rushing into her face. "No. Not most. This was a special case." She laughed in spite of herself. "Should I be worried about my kneecaps?"

"That's the mob," Butler corrected. "And no. I'll admit there was a time when I hoped Artemis would take an interest in Minerva. She's a nice girl. I thought it might be good for him to settle down, have a normal life."

Holly smiled wanly. "Love isn't always convenient."

"In my experience it never is. But don't worry, you're family. And it'll be nice not to have Artemis moping anymore."

"Moping?" Holly repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"As good as moping anyway – that research he's been carrying on with for ages now. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've had to listen to."

"And here I thought you'd developed an appreciation for the classics, old friend," Artemis said as he approached them. When he reached them he handed Holly a disc. "There's a full report of Clean-Hex's operations and their environmental impact as well as my projections of the impact of the new ownership," he explained. "After reading through it, the fairy council will likely be more supportive of Cernunnos's activities."

Holly crossed her arms and gave him her best scowl. "Should we expect to see more of him?"

"Perhaps."

"Well I'll let you two lovebirds say goodbye in peace," Butler announced.

Artemis grimaced. "Lovebirds?"

Holly activated her wings and flew up to Butler's eye level. "It was good to see you," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "Take care of yourself."

"And you," he returned.

"Lovebirds?" Artemis repeated as the bodyguard headed back towards the manor.

Holly smiled and punched him in the shoulder. "Get used to it. I think Butler's enjoying himself." She moved to hover before Artemis and their gazes met and locked. "I'll call you," she said. "After my shift."

"I look forward to it."

For a long moment they regarded each other in silence. Finally, Holly shook her head. "Mad as it may be, I really do love you, Artemis."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Against your will?"

"No, just against my better judgement."

They shared a lingering kiss and it took all of her resolve to finally draw away from him. She had to get home. If she was any later than she already was the manure would hit the air vents. But already she was calculating when she could next take leave for a surface visit.

"Goodbye, Artemis. Try to stay out of trouble," she said, embracing him quickly and then hovering out of reach.

He didn't reply and the smug smile on his face was an answer right there.

"Goodbye, Holly."

She turned in the direction of Tara and was about to pull on her helmet, shield, and get on her way when she remembered something. "That story earlier? Cupid and Psyche?"

"Yes?"

"That's not how it really happened."

Artemis's brow creased. "What do you mean? It's a millennia-old myth, Holly."

A smiled quirked her lips. "Didn't you know? Cupid was my great-grandfather." And then Holly was shielded and off into the sky before he could say another word.

Artemis was never certain whether or not she was in earnest.

**The End

* * *

**

**A/N: **In the very first description we ever get of Holly, we're told that Cupid is her great-grandfather. I'm never certain how seriously to take that. I mean chronologically it makes no sense... Colfer is always throwing out random details and contradicting himself from one book to another; it drives me sort of crazy.

Anyway, thank you to those who've taken the time to let me know what they thought of this story, and to those who will in future as well. I hope it was amusing.


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